St. Mary’s advanced to the second round to face Memphis after dispatching a solid Middle Tennessee State squad in the play in round.  The Gaels took a 29-20 lead to the break and after Middle Tennessee got close with about 15 minutes left, the Gaels opened it up from the outside and coasted to the win.  The Gaels were led by the hot shooting of star guard Matthew Dellavedova who hit 5 threes on his way to a team high 22 points.  The Gaels shot over 60% from three and also got a strong showing from Stephen Holt who will need to be productive for the Gaels to hang with Memphis.

The Tigers earned a 6 seed after a very strong season that was somewhat under the radar.  The Tigers finished 30-4 overall and undefeated in conference play finishing 16-0 in the regular season and then defeating Southern Miss in a 2 OT contest last weekend for the conference tourney crown.  The Tigers are led by stud guard Joe Jackson who averages 13.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 4.8 APG.  Memphis goes about 8 deep with confidence and will play strong D and get up and down at a furious pace.  Although overlooked because of their conference ‘s weaknesses top to bottom, the Tigers are one of the bigger sleepers to make a run in this field.

This game is quite intriguing as both teams feature elite PG’s and a good amount of size.  The Jackson-Dellavedova match-up is key and I like Jackson being able to get the best of him with his athleticism.  I expect this one to be a back and forth affair and the Tigers fresh legs to be the difference down the stretch. Memphis squeaks by with the cover.

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